Many varieties of fast food can be found on the streets of Istanbul but I guess the undisputed king of Turkish fast-food must definitely be kebab (or kebap). Kebab places range from low budget street stands to high end restaurants.
There are also many varieties to choose from, but to really appreciate the difference among them, one should visit a propper restaurant. Among the few varieties I tried, I liked İskender kebab the best (it has lower fat content compared to more widely known Döner kebab and is cut from larger pieces of lamb). Just delicious!
Those street kebab varieties might be made out of lower quality ground meat, but in my experience they taste pretty good nonetheless. On these same street stands they often also offer freshly squeezed juice. The most popular varieties are pomegranate, orange and grapefruit and all are a great source of vitamins.
Apart from that I also have to recommend a fast food version of seafood. Numerous stalls can be found on and just next to Karaköy Fish Market. It is situated just next to the Karaköy ferry port (west of the Beyoğlu end of Galata Bridge). Just outside the market you can find delicious, freshly made mackerel sandwiches. Crusty bread loafs are stuffed with fish, vegetables and spiced just right.
Considering the price (around 6 TL), this was my favorite snack of the trip. Even those amongst us who do not like mackerel absolutely loved this.
I found the fish market interesting enough even without the food. It just has a special vibe to it and there are countless sorts of really fresh fish and shrimps on display. The setting definitely offers countless photo opportunities.
However, even if you absolutely adore fast food, you can not afford to leave Istanbul without trying a traditional Turkish dinner with countless starters (mezes) and wash it all down with a Turkish national anise-flavored spirit (raki).
You can find out more about that in our next post.
Clicking on any one of above photos will reveal it in a much more flattering resolution.